NO ABORTION FUNDING IN THE BUDGET

NO ABORTION FUNDING IN THE BUDGET

Open Letter to the Illinois General Assembly

May 24th, 2018

On September 28, 2017, Governor Rauner signed into law House Bill 40, which authorizes the use of taxpayer funds for abortions through Medicaid and state employee health insurance. This new mandate is not eligible for reimbursement by the federal government, putting the entire cost on Illinois taxpayers.

House Bill 40 did not contain an appropriation; therefore, funding for elective abortions will come out of state Medicaid and health insurance funding.

No one knows how many more abortions there will be due to House Bill 40, but no matter the number, the principle is the same: our state tax dollars should not go to pay for abortion. You have the opportunity to ensure that no taxpayer money is used to end the life of any unborn child.

We are asking all members of the Illinois General Assembly to refuse to provide the means for House Bill 40 to accomplish its deadly consequences by including language in annual appropriations denying the use of tax dollars for elective abortions.

Due to our less-restrictive laws, in 2016 there was a 40 percent increase in the number of people coming to Illinois from out-of-state to undergo an abortion, forcing Illinois taxpayers not only to pay for abortions of Illinois citizens but of those from out-of-state. House Bill 40 will accelerate this trend.

Please work with us to protect taxpayers and unborn children.

Robert Gilligan, Executive Director

Catholic Conference of Illinois

Dawn Behnke, President

Illinois Federation For Right to Life

Eric Scheidler, Executive Director

Pro-Life Action League

Mary Kate Knorr, Executive Director

Ralph Rivera, Legislative Chairman

Illinois Right to Life Action

Bonnie Quirke, President

Lake County Right to Life

February 13, 2018

Court Ruling a Hopeful Sign for Pro-Life Nurses, Docs in Illinois

An Illinois nurse who was muscled out of her job because she wouldn’t participate in abortions is now one step closer to fighting her case before a jury of her peers.

Sandra (Mendoza) Rojas had worked as a Winnebago County public health nurse for 18 years before a new supervisor forced her to choose between her livelihood and her conscience in 2015.

Rojas, who lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Health last month, had filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Winnebago County in 2016, but the County slowed down her suit by claiming it had a near-universal right to force Rojas into compliance with its new policy.

On Monday, Chief Judge Eugene Doherty tossed out Winnebago County’s claim to government immunity, clearing the way for Rojas' lawsuit to move forward. In a related case last summer, Judge Doherty granted a preliminary injunction to protect Rojas and other medical professionals from the state's attempt to force them into making direct abortion referrals.